[floflo61]

I planned to travel from Washington, DC to Ft. Lauderdale, FL from 6/6/2012 - 6/10/2012 and made my travel plans via Orbitz. On 6/5/2012, I decided to return a day earlier and instead, made the change via Spirit directly and was charged $785.16 which is almost double the original cost I paid back in Feb 2012 of $405.16. What is even worse, the first Spirit reservation screen showed I would only be charged $386.42 and I was ok with that since a fee was expected. However, after I entered my credit card information, a full purchase price of $785.16 showed up

I contacted Spirit immediately via phone, but was told my wait would be approx 45 minutes so instead, I sent an email. Not only was I double-charged, but the airlines is deceptive. I requested some form of refund along with a few other complaints (e.g., customer service). I should not have been surprised by the canned response from "Turkessa" at the corporate office (see below).

"Turkessa 64074, Jun 07 07:22 pm (EDT):
Dear Ms. Gibbs,
Thank you for your correspondence with Spirit Airlines.
Ms. Gibbs, when a customer initiates a change to their reservation with the assistance of a booking agent, a $115.00 modification fee per passenger is assessed and any applicable fare difference for the new date.
Allow me to invite you to review our Modification Policy on our web site, I have included the direct link for your convenience.

Spirit Airlines does not offer fare adjustments. We understand you may disagree with our policies and procedures. However, Spirit Airlines has found that by being consistent with our policies and procedures is the only way to offer all of our customers with an equal and fair service.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Turkessa 64074
Corporate Customer Relations
Spirit Airlines Inc."

Simply put, I am responsible for paying $785.16. I will absolutely NEVER fly with Spirit again and plan to inform as many people as I can about this poor airliner. Yes, I informed Turkessa of this as well. I would rather pay the higher cost at another airlines! Lesson learned-do not change travel dates because you never know what they'll really charge until after have your payment. I have no doubt Spirit will lose more customers once they begin charging $45 for oversize carry-on baggage fees this fall

[azstar]

Unfortunately, their business just continues to expand. Customers see only the $49.00, $58.00, $72.00 fare, for example, and quickly purchase a ticket without verifying all the additional fees they will have to pay, which will ultimately quadruple the cost of their transportation. And, Spirit's president has publicly stated "they can complain all they want, but they'll be back if we save them a penny." So, that gives you an indication of what the company thinks of their passengers.